10 Days Bhutan Leisure Sightseeing and Trekking Tour

Highlights: Visit Tachogang Lhakhang, and Tashichho Dzong and National Memorial Chorten in Thimphu.

Upon your arrival at Paro International Airport by Druk Air, your local guide and driver will meet you at the arriving hall of the airport. And they will have a brief introduction about themselves. Then, you will be transferred to Thimphu (2,350m), the capital city of Bhutan. Covering a total distance of nearly 54 kilometers, it will take you about 1 hour to get to Thimphu from Paro (2,250m).

On the way to Thimphu, you will pay a visit to Tachogang Lhakhang. It was founded by Thankthong Gyelpo after he experienced a vision of Guru Rimpochhe, Amitaba and Avalokiteshvara near site. The caretakers today are said to be descendants of Thangtong Gyelpo. Inside the temple one can see the master’s relics, including his walking stick.

After arriving at Thimphu, your guide will help you check in the hotel. And you can have a brief rest at your hotel if you need. Later, you will visit National Memorial Chorten, which was built in memorial of King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, who is also known as the "father of modern Bhutan."

Next, you can visit Tashichho Dzong, the eminent fortress where the national government and central monastic body are located. In addition, here sits the summer residence of Je Khenpo, the Chief Abbot of Bhutan.

Stay overnight in Thimphu.

Thimphu National Memorial Chorten

Highlights: Visit Great Buddha Dordenma, National Textile Museum, National Library, and Motithang Takin Preserve in Thimphu.

Today’s tour will first bring you to the Great Buddha Dordenma. This massive statue of Shakyamuni measures in at a height of 51.5 m, making it one of the largest statues of Buddha in the world. The statue is made of bronze and is gilded in gold.

Then you are going to National Textile Museum, which keeps the traditional art of waving preserved and exhibits a good collection of ancient colored textile in various forms. keeps the traditional art of waving preserved and exhibits a good collection of ancient colored textile in various forms.

Next, you will head to visit the National Library of Bhutan. Built in 1967, it houses about 6,100 Tibetan and Bhutanese books, manuscripts, and xylographs and about 9,000 printing boards and the wood printing blocks for religious books. If you are interested in the history of Bhutan, the National Library can be the best place for you to have a deeper understanding of this unique country.

Later, you will drive to upper Motithang in Thimphu to visit Motithang Takin Preserve, a wildlife reserve area for takin (Budorcas taxicolor), the national animal of Bhutan. It's worthwhile taking the time to see these oddball mammals here.

Stay overnight in Thimphu.

Buddha Dordenma statue

Highlights: Hike to Phajoding Monastery to enjoy incredible views from it.

Today, you will head to Phajoding Monastery, a Buddhist monastery near Thimphu. It takes about 3 hours to hike up and around 2 hours down.

Phajoding Monastery was founded in the 13th century by Phajo Drugom Zhigpo, a Tibetan lama who spread the Drukpa Kagyu teachings of Buddhism in Bhutan. Currently, the monastery houses 80 young monks. They are happy little children in training to be monks. Once you get there, you will get incredible views of Thimphu. After that, we will return to Thimphu.

Stay overnight in Thimphu.

Hike to Phajoding Monastery

Highlights: Cross Dochula Pass and visit Punakha Dzong and Chimi Lhakhang.

Today, you will drive from Thimphu to Punakha (1,242m). The distance between Thimphu to Punakha is 71 kilometers, and it will take you 3 hours to get there. On the way, you will have an excellent opportunity to enjoy the panoramic view of the solemn Bhutan Himalaya Ranges and even take photos at the impressive collection of 108 chortens at Dochula Pass (3,140m).

After arriving at Punakha, you will head to visit the Punakha Dzong. Standing by the riverside of Pho Chu and Mo Chu, Punakha Dzong is one of the most impressive buildings and one of the top favorite attractions in Bhutan. Moreover, the rectangular shape fortress is also an honorable treasury where preserves numerous Buddhist relics and historical legacies.

After witnessing the superb Punakha Dzong, you will continue to visit Chimi Lhakhang, also known as Chime Monastery, which is a beautiful Buddhist monastery located in the Punakha District of Bhutan. It stands on a small round hillock close to the village of Lobesa and was built in 1499 by the 14th Drukpa hierarch, Ngawang Choegyel.

Stay overnight in Punakha.

Punakha Dzong

Highlights: Hike to Khamsum Yuelling Monastery and visit Punakha Suspension Bridge.

On today’s schedule, you will first pay a visit to Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten, built by the Queen Mother of the 5th King to bring peace and harmony for all living beings. It sits on a ridge above Punakha Valley, where you will have a fascinating view of the countryside below. About 2 hours round trip hike through rice fields is required to visit the chorten.

Later, after a very short hike from Punakha Dzong, you will get to the amazing Punakha Suspension Bridge that spans the Pho Chu and Mo Chu river. This is the longest suspension bridge in Bhutan.

Stay overnight in Punakha.

Visit Punakha Suspension Bridge

Highlights: Cross Lawala Pass to get to Phobjikha Valley and visit ancient Gangtey Monastery and the Black-Necked Crane Information Centerin Gangtey.

After breakfast, you will drive to Phobjikha valley (3,000m). The distance between Punakha and Phobjikha is about 80 kilometers and will take you nearly 3 hours to finish this driving journey. On the way to Phobjikha, you will get amazed by the beauty and serenity of the rich flora and fauna. And you may see some Yaks grazing in high altitude bamboo shrub along the road when you arrive at Lawala Pass (3,300m).

After crossing the pass, you will head to visit Gangtey Monastery, generally known as Gangtey Goempa. It is a very important monastery of Nyingmapa school. Thereafter, you will pay a visit to the Black-Necked Crane Information Center. The center is situated on the edge of the forest and wetland along the main road of Phobjikha valley. It has an observation room equipped with high power telescope and spotting scopes for catching the best view of the cranes. If you travel to Phobjikha in November to January, you can have a chance to view many black-necked cranes here.

Later, you can have a short hike that is known as the “Gangte Nature Trail”, which takes only about 1.5 hours, starting from the mani stone wall to the north of the Gangtey Monastery and ending in Khewa Lhakhang. This is a good chance to enjoy the enchanting natural scenery and breathe the incredibly fresh air in Phobjikha Valley.

Stay overnight in Gangtey.

Gangtey Monastery

Highlights: Drive back to Paro and visit Simtokha Dzong, Ta Dzong, Paro Rinpung Dzong and Dumtseg Lhakhang in Paro.

After breakfast, you will drive back to Paro. It will take you about 4 hours 20 minutes for the 125 kilometers. On the way, you will encounter the Simtokha Dzong en route. Built in 1629 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, Simtokha Dzong is often said to be the first dzong in Bhutan.

After arriving at Paro, you will visit Bhutan National Museum - Ta Dzong. The museum houses a large number of valuable collections. A visit to the National Museum will deepen your understanding of this country in a whole and broaden your eyes with numerous pieces of Bhutan treasures.

Next, you will head to explore Paro Rinpung Dzong, also named as Paro Dzong, a fortress once built to defend the valley from invasions. However, it now serves as an administration center and school for monks.

Later, the tour will bring you to the Dumtseg Lhakhang. The temple is notable as it is in the form of a chorten, very rare in Bhutan. It is located on the edge of a hill between the Paro valley and the Dopchari valley, across the bridge from Paro.

In the evening, you can freely explore Paro to experience its unique lifestyle here.

Stay overnight in Paro.

Visit Paro Rinpung Dzong

Highlights: Visit Sang Choekhor Lhakhang, Chhoe Tse Lhakhang and Bumdrak Monastery en route of the trekking.

Today, you will get an early start from the village of Sang Choekhor (2,900m), where you will meet the team for the trek. The actual trek starts from here, and heads first to Bumdrak, the place where 100,000 dakini footprints can be found.

Before leaving Sang Choekhor, we will visit the small Sang Choekhor Lhakhang, the local Buddhist College, after which we will take the trail up through the blue pines of the hillsides to the shady forested ridge above, which opens out onto a clearing festooned with prayer flags. The views from the clearing look down onto both the Paro and Do Chhu Valleys and are spectacular.

A few hours walk from the clearing and we will pass by the often-closed Chhoe Tse Lhakhang (3,650m), a small temple that nestles on the side of the mountain. The trail is up and down for the entire walk, with the last stretch climbing steeply to the temple, where you get some commanding views out over Paro and to the north to the mountains of the Himalayas.

The final climb through ruined buildings and fluttering prayer flags takes around 20 minutes, after which we will drop back into the dense ancient forests of pine, juniper, and rhododendron, coming out 40 minutes later onto a vast open meadow scattered with sacred chortens and adorned with colorful prayer flags.

On the side of the meadow lies the Cave of a Hundred Thousand Prayers, which lies under the Bumdrak Monastery (3,900m), and after lunch we will explore this delightful meditation site and the monastery above. The campsite for the night lies just below the monastery, at around 3,800 meters, and offers some great views of the mountains as the sun drops over them.

Stay overnight in Bumdrak Campsite.

Paro Bumdrak Trek

Highlights: Visit the amazing Tiger’s Nest Monastery along the way.

After a delicious breakfast, we will start our trek to the city of Paro, passing by and visiting the amazing Taktsang Monastery along the way. After leaving the Bumdrak Monastery camp, we will descend for around two hours towards the city in the valley below. On the descent, the path snakes its way down the side of the mountain, finally reaching the gardens of Sangtopelri (heaven on Earth), at around 3,000 meters, from where you can peer down on the roofs of the Taktsang Monastery (3,155m), if you are brave enough to go to the edge.

After another hour of descent, we will finally reach the gates of the Taktsang Monastery, perched against the face of the cliff on a narrow ledge that hardly seems wide enough to build on. After a descent from the gates past a beautiful waterfall and up some carved steps in the rock of the cliffs, we pass into the Tiger’s Nest Monastery itself.

Lunch is served as a hot picnic lunch, and after eating and exploring this amazing feat of construction, and the legends of the meditation caves of Guru Rinpoche and his journey to Bhutan on the back of a flying tigress, we will continue our descent to the valley below, where our car will take us back to Paro.

Stay overnight in Paro.

Tiger’s Nest Monastery

After breakfast, your guide will meet you at the hotel and transfer you to Paro International Airport for your next destination.

The tour services end.